Whale shark tourism at Ningaloo Marine Park: A longitudinal study of wildlife tourism

This article demonstrates the changes that occur due to the maturation of a wildlife tourism industry through the application of a Wildlife Tourism Framework. Specifically, in 2005 survey data was collect from participants of whale shark tourism at Ningaloo Marine Park in Western Australia, facilitating a direct comparison with a study conducted a decade earlier. The results conformed with predictions by the Framework, in particular, a shift in the industry towards the mainstream from the periphery. In comparison with the past, whale shark tourism at Ningaloo now attracts more generalist tourists who place different preferences on the whale shark tourism experience. There is now a greater distribution of age groups; less skilled individuals; a higher tolerance to crowding; and a larger focus on the non-wildlife components of the experience. Furthermore, this article, discusses the pertinent management implications associated with this shift.     

Mexico's balance of payments 1970–1983: Contributions of international tourism and border transactions

The Mexican government instigated a series of programmes to redress its rapidly deteriorating balance of payments in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Devaluations of the peso were aimed at improving foreign exchange earnings from international tourism and border transactions, particularly with the USA. Although the net foreign exchange earned by these two sectors increased in 1982 and 1983, neither sector improved its net balance of real income and expenditure between 1975 and 1982. The impact of the devaluations, combined with depressed economic conditions in North America and Western Europe, affected both the inflow and outflow of international travellers and their level of expenditure, and limited real contribution to Mexico's balance of payments problems.     

Reducing risky interactions between tourists and free-ranging dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in an artificial feeding program at Monkey Mia, Western Australia

We studied interactions between tourists and free-ranging bottlenose dolphins in an artificial feeding program at Monkey Mia, Australia. We used logistic regression to identify factors that contributed to the incidence of “risky” (potentially injurious) interactions between tourists and dolphins. Rates of dolphin-to-tourist risky interactions were heightened with longer waiting times before dolphins were fed. We documented differences among provisioned dolphins in their proclivity to engage in risky interactions; however, it was more likely for risky interactions to be initiated by tourists. Our findings suggest several readily implemented management strategies to reduce incidence of risky interactions. Long-term monitoring of tourism based on artificial feeding is essential to identify and rectify detrimental effects of provisioning on dolphins, to ensure the safety and welfare of dolphins and tourists, and to promote sustainability of this potentially harmful tourist activity.     

In the absence of a main attraction – Perspectives from polar bear watching tourism participants

Wildlife watching tourism has recently received more attention in the tourism literature. However, research is still needed on participants' perceptions on the unpredictable nature of wild animals as main attractions. Information on this topic may help providers keep participants satisfied in the absence of wildlife and move away from exploitative practices sometimes used to guarantee close encounters. Using polar bear tourism as a case study, content analysis of TripAdvisor reviews from Churchill (Canada) and Svalbard (Norway) was used to examine participants’ comments on unpredictable wildlife and reactions when polar bears were not found. Findings indicate that to keep participants satisfied, wildlife watching tourism providers should focus on more controllable parts of the experience, such as high-quality guiding, expectations management, and secondary, more guaranteed side activities. They should also make the most of the natural surroundings, other wildlife in the area and signs of the focal species when encountered.     

THE SOCIAL PRODUCTION OF SPACE IN TOURISM ENCLAVES: MAYAN CHILDREN’S PERCEPTIONS OF TOURISM BOUNDARIES

This paper adopts an interpretive approach to investigate children’s perceptions of their socio-spatial surroundings. It focuses on two tourism service towns, Akumal Pueblo and Chemuyil, and two major tourism centers, Akumal Playa and Bahia Principe, all located in the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula. Drawing on scholarship related to tourism’s role in demarcating and segregating space and Lefebvre’s trialectics of space production, this inquiry focuses on ways in which Mayan children residing in Akumal Pueblo and Chemuyil render their surrounding spaces intelligible, while reproducing or challenging the boundaries, symmetries and inclusions/exclusions created by the tourism industry. Tourism scholarship has tended to ignore children. By contrast this study engages the geographies of childhood to understand the lived socio-spatial experiences of this demographic group.     

Evolution of indigenous tourism among the Lacandon of Chiapas: an application of Weaver’s model

ABSTRACT

In this paper, Weaver’s six-stage indigenous tourism model is applied to the Lacandon Maya (Hach Winik) of Chiapas, Mexico. Based on a comprehensive review of the anthropological and historical literature on this indigenous group, combined with longitudinal ethnographic and collaborative research performed with tourism entrepreneurs, the Lacandon tourism experience is assessed from the pre-European period until present. By analysing a case study of indigenous tourism in Mexico, a developing country in another geographical region and with a different colonial past, this work supplements Weavers’ perspective. The results show that the fourth and fifth stages of Weaver’s model coincide in this case study, while the sixth stage is still incomplete. Although the Lacandon case has its peculiarities and bearing in mind that several different factors should be considered in the Latin American context, the model proves to be an interesting tool for indigenous tourism analysis in developing countries.     

Visitors’ memories of wildlife tourism: Implications for the design of powerful interpretive experiences

One of the aims of wildlife tourism is to educate visitors about the threats facing wildlife in general, and the actions needed to protect the environment and maintain biodiversity. To identify effective strategies to achieve this aim, this paper examines participants’ memories of their wildlife tourism experiences and explores processes through which such experiences can lead to long-term changes in conservation behaviour. Findings are based on 240 visitors’ extended open-ended responses to a follow-up web survey administered approximately four months after a visit to one of four marine-based wildlife tourism venues in Southeast Queensland. Qualitative analysis revealed four levels of visitor response to the experience, implying a process involving what visitors actually saw and heard (sensory impressions), what they felt (emotional affinity), thought (reflective response), and finally what they did about it (behavioural response). Recommendations are provided for ways tourism managers and wildlife interpreters can maintain and strengthen these dimensions of memorable experiences in order to enhance visitor satisfaction and encourage visitors’ long-term adoption of environmentally sustainable practices.     

Testing on-site sampling correction in discrete choice experiments

This study uses truncated Poisson regression to correct endogeneity of discrete choice experiments (DCEs) with data from on-site sampling, which has been commonly used to collect samples in the field of tourism research. We find that goodness of fit of model is significantly improved with on-site sampling correction. Estimated parameters with onsite sampling correction also match the predictions of economic theory better. Estimated willingness to pay for attributes are substantially underestimated due to sample selection bias. These results question the use of DCEs without on-site sampling correction for tourism policy making.